Harry Potter and ? Sorcerer's Stone
by bookhater95
Summary: Lost among people he only recognizes do to cretin similarity's, all he has left are seven books to help him gain back his memory.
1. Time Travel

Hi everyone! Okay, so I've probably read more 'Reading the Series' then anyone. Let me tell you this, I love them all. I think its so funny and fascinating watching all the emotions and attitudes from an outsiders point of view. Yet most of them have one thing in common, most of the time some one is present who knows what's going on. It kind of kill's the story that way. So I've created this series. More will be explained in the actual chapter, and a sum up at the bottom. If you have any questions feel free to review or PM me, and the first official chapter will be Saturday. Thank you

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><p>"Hermione! Where'd he go!" Ron snapped, wand still in hand as he gazed upon the spot his best friend had been standing seconds before.<p>

In a desperate fit he swirled around and sent a stunning spell at the attacker, but he had disappeared with a loud crack before he got the chance.

"Hermione, where did Harry go? What spell did that Death Eater use?" Ron snarled.

With a look of absolute horror on her face she snapped back "I don't know Ronald, I don't know everything! I didn't recognize it. Come on we got to go."

"Go?" Ron said, sounding almost faint "go where? Are you insane women we've got to find Harry!"

"Well at least I know that" she snarled "but we have to go tell the others what happened. I need to go to the Library and figure something out."

Ron looked as if he had been clubbed over the head by a troll, weather it was the prospect of going back to school or telling Harry Potter's six month pregnant wife Hermione had no idea.

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><p>"Come on Lils, you think that fly on the wall is going to be the death of him. Let me give him one more go." Sirius tried again.<p>

"I said no Sirius" Lilly snapped back "he's only four months old, he can't even hang on by himself yet. You need both hands to stear that monstrosity."

"But I can" Sirius began again, but was interrupted from the man on the couch "aw, just let it go Padfoot. There's no point in arguing with Lilly when she's in a logical mood. Try it again later when Harry won't go to bed."

Sirius grinned and Lilly shot him an evil look for giving the man false hope, when there was a horrible sound of something huge smashing down in the kitchen.

Faster then many could follow Remus and Sirius had pushed Lilly and the baby in her arms towards the stares, drew there wands and advanced on the noise. Entering the kitchen they saw something that would turn there world around.

A young man who seemed in his early twenties was strewn across the Potters kitchen table, which had snapped in half underneath him. The only reason he was not a slug on the floor for going into this house was that he looked, oddly familer.

No, this was impossible. James Potter was upstares, probably trying to calm down his disturbed wife. Sirius was half surprised he wasn't down here himself by now. This had to be true, for no matter how much he looked it, this man was not James.

They had a lot of the same face, and the boy even had black his hair, but...

The man on the table stirred, groaning slightly and grabbing his head as if it pained him dearly. The thought that someone had tried to use a Polyjuice potion on James was drivin out of both men's mind as the eyes slowly opened, and they saw a pair of bright green eyes behind those glasses.

Remus had been to stunned to do much of anything but oggle at the strange sight before him, but now that he was seeing life he demanded in a stern voice "alright you, whoever you are, you are to get to your feet slowly. No sudden moves or I will make sure that arm of yours never moves again."

Those familer eyes slide over to the side to land on the two of them, and he frowned as he caught sight of them. His words slurring slightly he stated "alright" and very slowly he raised both arms above his head, then brought them back down to his side to help lift him up.

Both men felt another spasm of shock as they realized just how close in height this person was to there best friend. Turning a funny green color the man managed to erect himself, give both guys one more confused stare, then passed out again on the kitchen tile as James Potter came skidding into the room.

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><p>So, that's chapter one. Next chapter they will start reading, but I'm still not going to explain much, cause I'm mean like that. Hope you guys enjoy.<p> 


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Disclaimer: All words in Bold do not belong to me, all other words are mine and should not be seen on any other page of this website.  
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><p>"What the hell?" James yelped in shock, seeing his doppelganger on his own floor.<p>

Sirius turned to him sharply and said "James, do you have any idea what's going on?"

His friend merely shook his head in shock, still staring down at the floor.

"Well" Remus started cautiously, while shifting his weight around "what are we to do now?"

"Obvious ain't it" Sirius grunted "call the other Aurors and have him carted out of our hair."

"Is that all you think about Siri?" Remus asked with a small grin "your hair?"

"Well it is marvelous" He grinned, pushing it out of his face so they could see his full grin.

James on the other hand surprised his two friends by saying "No, not yet."

They both turned to him sharply as Remus snapped "James, you can't be serious?" he quickly cut himself off by stating "Don't even start" to Sirius before hurrying on "A strange person just apparated into your kitchen and you want to leave him there?"

"Well" James said slowly, but gained confidence as he continued "Its just, he seems rather harmless right now don't he? We should at lest give him the chance to explain."

Remus and Sirius both exchanged concerned and even alarmed looks as Sirius spat "That's it, who are you and what have you done with James Potter?"

James grinned and looked about ready to make a sarcastic comment until Remus seconded "Yes, no James I know would ever leave a stranger in the house with his wife and son."

James slumped his shoulders as he reconsidered, but then again his eyes landed on the youth on the floor. He straitened back up and then looked his friends square in the eyes "Look you two, don't tell me your the ones that need glasses now? Can't you see the resemblance to this young man and my son upstairs?"

The other two had to agree with this, they had seen the baby not minutes before.

"Well, I suppose" Remus began slowly, but was cut off by yet another harsh light appearing.

All three men yelped in shock as eight objects slammed down, exactly where the other person had been.

The wands had never been put away, but had remained pointing towards the stranger. Now they were raised instead at the seven books, and a note.

Cautiously Remus and Sirius walked forward, and while Sirius bent down to examine the books Remus read aloud "

_Harry, were all so worried about you. I just found the two spells that were cast upon you. One was Obliviate, and the other was a time travel spell. So even though I do know what happened, to you, I'm still not sure where you are. I've sent these books to travel with your presence in hopes it will help in jogging your memories. The rest of us well follow as soon as I can find out how._

_Worried sick, "_

That's it" Remus finished. "There looks like there was supposed to be a name scrawled across the bottom, but its all blurred out."

"Same with these books" Sirius said "no titles, no chapter titles, just the pictures."

He held up the skinniest book in the lot and showed it to James, which had an image of a boy who looked remarkably familiar on a broom, his hand stretched out towards what could only be a golden snitch. There were also a few other things on the cover that didn't make much sense, but what really struck him was what was scrawled across the book in gold lettering 'Harry Potter and the-'.

Like Sirius had said, there was nothing to finish the statement afterwords.

"This is so weird" Remus muttered, his eyes flickering back and forth between the man on the floor, his best friend across from him, the ceiling where his little cub was with his mother, and back towards the books.

Sirius was merely looking down at the still asleep body, kind of bemused now. "So, what you guys make of it?"

James sucked in a deep lung full of air before deciding "alright, nothing's concrete yet. I say we tie up this chap, and make him comfy on the sofa until further notice. Bring Lilly and Harry down here, I don't want them out of my site until I'm more comfortable about this. We'll read the first chapter to try and decide how legit this is. After that we'll wake the kid up and get some conformation."

"He might not know much" Remus pointed out, staring back at the letter "these books are apparently here because he has no memory. This note seemed to have been writing very hastily, look at how some of the words mash together. If it was any smaller I wouldn't be able to read it at all. "

Sirius turned out to be the deciding factor, so he went with "I'm with James. If these books and this kid here really is about our little Harry upstairs, these books should confirm it one way or another. Lets work threw the first chapter until we come up with a better idea anyway."

Outvoted, Remus nodded and quickly bent down to tie up there visitor. James went upstairs to fetch his wife and child, and Sirius carried all of the books down and plopped them down on the coffee table.

Once Lilly had come down with her baby in her arms, her eyes went straight to his duplicate on the couch. James had already explained the situation to her, and she agreed this was nothing to be hasty about.

Leaving the young unconfirmed Harry to the couch, Lilly and James took up the love seat with there baby in Lilly's arms. Remus took the recliner, and Sirius sat down on the hearth rug in front of the fire.

Remus had managed to take the book away from Sirius during all this, so it was he who opened it to the first page and read out"

**Chapter 1**

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

Lilly's face brightened with joy at those words as she clutched her son to her chest she cooed "O, these books are about my little Hare Bear."

"How on earth you could know that from the first sentence?" Remus demanded.

"My sister, Petunia, recently married a man named Vernon."

"Good to know about your horrid sisters life" Sirius said sarcastically "but what does this have to do about Harry?"

Lilly mulled that over for a moment before announcing "maybe I finally make up with her. After all, she does have her own son. Maybe we finally get to push all that water under the bridge."

"I doubt that" James muttered so low his wife couldn't hear him, rethinking of the first sentence. He did not, however, repeat himself louder because he did not want to hurt his wife's chances of this being true.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

"She hasn't changed much" Lilly said with a small smile

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

For the first time, Lilly started having doubts as well, but she quickly shook it off. "Perhaps they just don't want the other muggles finding out about the wizerding world. There trying to protect us."

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, ****because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish ****as it was possible to be.**

Lilly flinched and looked down instead. There went that dream. In hopes of cheering her up Sirius pipped up "So if they get to make those kinds of words up, can I make everything cool as Sirusly as possible."

James groaned and Remus pointed out "Sirius, seriously is already a word. Just because you substitute your name doesn't change that."

"Rat's" he muttered, snapping his fingers then looking around for the first time as if noticing something "Hay guys, where did Peter run off to?"

"O, he left a few minutes ago" Lilly said, pleased for the short moment change of subject "said he had to run some errands. He'd be back later."

"How come he didn't ask any of us to go" James asked.

Lilly rolled her eyes and stated "He wouldn't" while pointing at Sirius "you couldn't" she told her husband "and I was busy with Harry."

She turned her wide green eyes on Remus and stated "though I don't know why he didn't ask you?"

Remus shrugged and as he had no idea, just went back to reading.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

Lilly's feelings had sunken even lower with every word. Clearly Petunia's attitude for her had only gotten worse.

The other three boys in the room however looked out raged that anyone could think such a thing about a kid like Harry.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.**

All of the adults exchanged startled looks, what kind of discipline was that?

They all looked down at baby Harry in his mothers lap, and he was now playing with Hickery's tail. If he had acted like that there would be a minimum of a verbal warning, not encouragement.

**He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

"What?" Sirius asked, startled

"That's what it says" Remus confirmed.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light.**

"Think it really was?" James asked curiously

Lilly shrugged and admitted "unless its an animagus, what else could it have been?"

"Well, since the possibility of an animagus being in a muggle dwelling are slime to none, we'll just have to read to find out" Remus pointed out

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no,** **looking** **at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"Why is that strange?" James asked

"Muggle's don't wear cloaks dear" Lilly told him patently

"Don't they get cold?" he asked in surprise

Lilly just shook her head, not wanting to get into it now.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the get ups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

"What on earth has gotten into us?" Remus asked, slightly amused yet mostly irritated at such carelessness.

"Something really big must have happened" Sirius deduced

Everyone else gave him 'duh' looks before Remus went on

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it.**

"Hopefully the rest of the muggles get that same line of thinking, don't want someone to get suspicious" Lilly decided.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He** **didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Well, its good to see he has a healthy diet" Sirius said sarcastically

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.**

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, ****that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"Never mind what I said about the health thing" Sirius decided

"We weren't paying much attention to you anyways" Remus told him without looking up.

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —"**

" — **yes, their son, Harry —"**

Everyone looked around the room in shock at that.

"What in the name of Merlin did we do?" James asked

"Maybe you went on a killing spree" Sirius suggested innocently

James threw a pillow at his best man, but as there really were no better suggestions, they looked back to Remus to continue.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, ****and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid.**

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"Yes it is" James snapped "my families a very prominent one, yet we hardly have very many lines left."

"Its actually pretty common among muggles" Lilly told him "come to think of it, so is my maiden name. I've actually meet two separate people who have no relation to me at all with my old last name."

"O" James deflated

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was** **called Harry.**

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd** **had a sister like that…**

"Excuse me?" Sirius snarled "like what exactly?"

"A witch" Lilly told him with a strait face

**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

"Well at least he has manners" Lilly said "I certainly hope he takes those home to his son" she was still thinking of that breakfast scene of before.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!**

There was a huge intake of breath all around before this news truly sunk in, then they all burst out in an explosion of happiness. It took a good while for them to all settle back down, then James puffed up and stated "I told you I'd be the one to do it."

"What in your big head makes you think that?" Remus demanded

"Well, they said Potter. Like I said, don't think any other member of my family could have done it."

"Could have been your Grandpa" Sirius pointed out "they did mention Harry."

Lilly gasped and clutched her son tighter to her, but James quickly tried to sooth her while giving Sirius a harsh look. "Don't freak her out like that."

He turned back to his wife and said "I'm sure it has nothing to do with our son. Maybe they are talking about my dad."

She nodded quietly as she looked down at her baby. As much as it pained her to admit, she did hope that it was her father in law, Harry, rather then her son. She didn't want her little Hare Bare on the same continent as that, that horrid thing of existence.

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"You know, this mans starting to remind me of my dad" Sirius said, rolling his eyes

"That's a bit of a harsh insult" Remus noted "we don't really know that much about this man yet. He could just be having a bad day."

Sirius shrugged, he wasn't taking it back

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"What's wrong with cat's?" Lilly demanded as she tickled Hickery's ear. The cat purred with content as it wrapped its tail tighter around the baby.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Still leaning away from the oddity of the cat?" James asked Remus

Remus didn't give in easy, so he hurried on

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

"That's a real accomplishment that is." Sirius said sarcastically

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"**Well, Ted," said the weatherman,**

"Ted" Remus asked, interested "don't suppose its Ted Tonks? He's a muggle born who works for a news company if I member correctly."

"Could be" Lilly shrugged "they didn't describe him. How should we know?"

**"I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Everyone in the room looked rather upset at the reminder, but it was Sirius who looked rather guilty. Did he have any room to judge when he himself often pretended he did not have a brother for the opposite reason. For flouting his pure blood status.

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"**So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd."**

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.**

"Coward" James said, rolling his eyes. Though secretly he was pleased his name had this kind of effect on people.

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Hay" James snapped "don't dis my sons and fathers name."

Lilly reached over and gave him an apologetic look for her sister.

Sirius on the other hand had something a bit more vocal to say "Well its a hell of a lot better then Dudley."

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_were _**involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them…**

"Dude, his wife's related to a witch." Sirius said in disbelief

"He's not the brightest cookie in the crumble is he?" Lilly asked

**How very wrong he was.**

Lilly frowned as a new thought occurred to her. "If my sister still hates me, what do they have to do with our world? If we don't even make up, I doubt my son will have little, if anything, to do with them."

James just shrugged and slung his arm around his wife as Remus read on.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

Everyone except Remus was grinning now. "Admit its an animagus now?"

Remus sighed in irritation before admitting "yes, alright. But why's McGonagall there?"

"What makes you say its McGonagall?" Sirius asked in surprise

"What other cat animagus do we know?" Lilly pointed out

"There could have been another animagus that we don't know of, or not there yet. We don't know when these books are taking place."

Remus ignored that and instead snapped his fingers saying "I got it, what if Dudley's a wizard? Its a diluted line, but it could be. Might even explain why there in this book. Petunia will have to make up with you."

Lilly looked all to pleased with this statement while James and Sirius looked disgusted that a spoiled child would be around there little Maurder Junior.

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"That sounds like Dumbledore" Lilly said in surprise. "Now why are the both of them there? Surely you would just need one wizard there to test a young one."

"Come to think of it" Remus said slowly "why would anyone need to be there at all? Isn't there some kind of magic quill that says weather you can go to Hogwarts or not?"

Stumped again, Remus went on

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Cool" all three pranksters chanted at once

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Told you it was McGonagall" Remus said with a grin

"No one disputed that" Sirius huffed

"You did" he reminded him

"not after you, o just shut up Moony."

"How can I shut up if you want me to read?" He asked with a wicked grin

Sirius satisfied himself with a scowl

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"But _why _was she?" Lilly begged the book

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news."**

**She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."  
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"Maybe not" James agreed "but he's the nicest bloke you'll ever meet."

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

"You know, its probably better that the wizards weren't trying to dress like Muggles" Lilly pointed out "seeing as they don't do that good a job anyway."

"Hay" James pouted "I do an alright job"

"Yea, after your wife dresses you" Siriuis mumbled, glad he was far enough away that James could only glare at him, seeing as his parents were trying to refrain from cursing anyone with there son in the room.

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has** **gone, Dumbledore?"**

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore.**

Everyone exahled a breath at the same time, none of them willing to admit that they'd still had doubts of this truth. Now that Dumbledore had said it, it must be true.

"**We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"**A what?"**

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.**

"Why not?" Sirius asked "any time is a good time for sweets."

"Sirius, you would stop in the middle of a highway to pick up a Bertie Botts Bean" Lilly pointed out

"Your point?" He asked

Lilly just rolled her eyes

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —"**

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

"I'm with Dumbledore on that" James agreed "never really did get why people don't say his name. Just gives him more power."

"You have to look at it from another perspective" Lilly told them all "others who have been personally affected by this have more reason to fear something. Saying Voldemort's name is like talking about a great war, don't talk about it don't think about it."

"That doesn't make any sense" Sirius argued back "its still going on, people are still dying. Not talking about it doesn't stop that."

"We can spend all day having this argument" Remus pointed out "why don't we finish this first hu?"

"Fine" the others grumbled

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

**"I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right,Voldemort, was frightened of."**

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"That's only because he's too good a person to use them" Remus said stoutly

"**Only because you're too — well —noble to use them."**

"So Professor Lupin, tell us the exact wrist movement of a switching spell" Sirius joked

"Shut up Padfoot" Remus snapped, trying to pretend he didn't like the ring of that "you know it was true."

"Yay, but I didn't mimic a teacher now did I?"

"You just wait" he grumbled

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the** **rumors** **that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

"'I'd like to here this myself" Sirius admitted, then quickly pressed on as James opened his mouth "you know, the _real _reason."

While James pouted Remus pointed out "well, if you guys would stop interrupting me maybe we could."

"You've been talking just as much as we have" Lilly told him sternly

Instead of commenting on that

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"**What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters.**

Everyone in the room now flinched hard at that, while looking white James whispered "I was joking, really I was. I, what did I do to have Voldemort coming after my family?"

He looked desperately at his friends, as if begging one of them to tell him that he'd heard wrong.

Giving himself a slight shake Sirius told him sternly "I doubt you did anything to put anyone in danger James. Just read on Remus, I'm sure there was some sort of misunderstanding."

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — dead."**

What was once a flinch could have counted as a convulsion, Remus actually looked like he was going to be sick.

"Li-like I said" Sirius said shakily "mis-misunderstanding. Not true, McGongall just heard wrong is all."

"There's still no prof this is real" Lilly said quickly, as if determined to find a flaw in this "couldn't be to hard to find my sisters name somewhere. This could be fake."

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

Nobody appreciated this kind of confirmation, but with Lilly's words in mind, Remus was able to go on in a still audible voice.

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

James somehow managed to get out a weak chukle, an echo of his old laugh, as he said "Well, its nice to know she really did care."

"Course she did" Lilly mumbled, looking down at her son in fear "at least, me anyway, she loved me cause I was her favorite student. She's actually pleased to here you won't be causing anymore trouble."

"So that's why he married you" Sirius thought "even learning that you might die, you can still joke around."

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

There was an odd, poignant sound after this little speech. Every eye in the room was either on the little baby in Lilly's lap, or the black hared youth still passed out on the couch. No one could quite believe it, no one wanted to believe it. A world without Voldemort, free of fear and prejudices, yet at what cost?

Remus was now trying to read as fast as he could, wanting to get a conformation one way or another, fake or real?

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"**It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"Yes little Harry do tell your secret" Sirius said quickly, looking for any excuse to get the sollum feel out of the room the worlds just _dying _to know your secret."

"Now's not the time Sirius" Remus spoke softly, but it was a clear reprimand that Sirius took well, seriously.

"**We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.**

"Why wouldn't that make sense?" James asked, glancing down at his own watch.

"Not to Muggles it wouldn't" Lilly reminded him, happy for any chance to get her mind off of this depressing subject.

"Yes, but no one here's a muggle."

Lilly just shrugged, unable to really answer that

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"That was dangerous" Lilly snapped, fear for her child rearing its head "Hagrid shouldn't have told a single living, or unliving, sole about where my baby was. He might not have really known it was McGonagall he told. Could have been a death eater out for revenge couldn't it?"

"Calm down Lil's" James said gently "you know Hagird's a bit gullible with a loose tongue. I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. In fact, Dumbledore might have said it was okay for Hagird to tell McGonagll."

Lilly huffed and did not look keen on taking this answer until it was confirmed

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

The three boys slumped there shoulders at this reminder, but Lilly looked even more panicked now "is he insane? My sister hates me and everything to do with Magic! This books proven that so far, why would he send my son there?"

"Well like he said" James said quietly "Voldemort's probably done my parents and yours in by now."

"That's right comforting that is?" Lilly snarled, while James raised his hands in surrender and edged away slightly.

"**You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"I take back every bad thing I ever said about McGonagall" James muttered

"That's a long list" Remus reminded him "she did manage to catch us in the act quite a bit."

James shrugged and admitted "she's trying to keep my son away from them, I take it all back."

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?"**

"I'm with her on that one" Sirius said making a face "would it go something like 'Dear Muggles, this kids a wizard who defeated an evil and powerfull wizard, look after him until I can bother coming back, Dumbledore.'"

Lilly rolled her eyes at his antics and said "Sirius, she already knows a bit about the magical world. It wouldn't be like that."

"Not the point Lils." Sirius reminded her

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!"**

"That sounds right nice that does" James said with a cocky grin, rather pleased his name would be so well known."

"I think you missed the point of that statement James" Remus told him calmly, "but as Dumbledore's about to say it himself

"**Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"O" James deflated" Yea I guess that would be a bad thing."

"'Guess'" Lilly hissed "'a bad thing'? James Potter would you really want to be famous for this?"

"No" he admitted, mentally thinking he should put a bit more stock into what he said before he said it now.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"**Hagrid's bringing him."**

"**You think it —wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"That's going a bit far" Lilly said slowly "I know his hearts in the right place but...well he can be a bit careless."

"O Lil's, you worry to much" Sirius said brightly "Hagrid's the best kind of protection Harry could ever ask for. You seen the size of that bloke."

"Who hasn't" James agreed

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless.**

"Arggh" Sirius groaned "now we got two damned Professors in the room. You have no idea how horrid Professor Potter sounds."

"Be nice" Lilly snapped, blushing slightly at that

"If it makes you feel any better" Remus said slowly "you could just call her Professor Evans, use her surname."

"No way" James barked "Do you know how long it took me to get Lilly Potter to admit that was her last name now."

"So you'd rather one of your broad be a teacher then?"

James seemed to be in a physical pain at this dilemma, so to help him out a bit Remus kept reading.

**He does tend to — what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Gotta love these books discriptions any way" Sirius laughed "that's Hagird to a T."

"Can't wait till they do yours" Remus muttered, thinking of all the lovely adjectives that would boost his friends ego another few degrees.

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"What" Sirius yelped in shock "why the hell would I give Hagrid my bike? I won't even let Moony drive it."

"Yet you encourage a four month old to hold on to the handlebar"James reminded him

"Now that I think about it" Remus said slowly "why would Harry have to go there at all? Sirius is his Godfather, that entitles him to care giver should anything happen to you two."

That had the others stumped until Lilly snapped her fingers and said "Maybe they have to deal with the legal side of this first, make the paper work go threw for Sirius to adopt Harry, and Harry has to be with relatives until then."

"I guess" Sirius grudgingly accepted, "thought that still don't explain why I gave up my bike."

"You know it puts him to sleep" James suggested "hoped it would calm him down in the mean time."

Accepting this for now, Remus went on

"**No problems, were there?"**

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"What" Lilly yelped, scanning the hairline of her beautifull baby fitfully "he doesn't have a scar. That's proff right there that these books are fake."

Hating every movement he was making, Remus made to stand up and go towards the kid on the couch, but Sirius stood up and stopped him with a hard look in his eyes "wait until the chapters over," he glanced down and decided "there's only a bit left. Let them have some peace until then."

Remus did not agree, but thought it best to finish this chapter before there world really did go to hell.

"**Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Interesting" Lilly muttered sarcasticlly, wanting this to be done with already so she could have a proper look at what could be her future son.

**Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Aw, that's so sweet" Lilly said sadly "he cares about my little baby."

"Who doesn't" the others agreed.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —"**

"Well that's nice to" Remus agreed "glad to know you two will be missed."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Lilly questioned

"It made James feel better" Sirius pointed out "his life's goal is to end up on a chocolate frog card."

"Haha, very funny guys" James said, gazing down at his son without looking up

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered,**

"remind me never to go to her for comfort" Sirius muttered with a frown, not even wanting to think how he would be feeling right now

"why would you?" Remus asked, slightly disturbed at the oddity of that sentence anyway

**patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

Lilly's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she held her tongue to see if what she was thinking was true.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike back to Sirius.**

"Well I should hope so" Sirius grumbled, trying to find something else to think about rather then the situation at hand.

**G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

"You think that means 'Yes sir' or 'I still can't believe what your doing?" James asked with a strait face

"The second, go with the second. It makes me feel better" Remus advised

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"O for Merlin's sake" Lilly hissed, while the other three looked on at her in shock

"Something wrong Lilly Flower?" James asked with quite a bit of concern, she looked quite deranged

"I've just found out my son's going to live with my sister who hates me, were both dead, and now they've left my son who has an injury on his forehead ON THE DOORSTEP!"

Hickery streaked away from the couch and curled up on top of the mantel to glare down at the lot of them. Little Harry woke up with a startled wail and looked around for the source of disturbing his play mate.

James and Remus tried to make soothing motions with there hands but she was on a rampage, she even trusted Harry into James arms so she could stand up and continue "they even said it was going to rain that night. What were they thinking! They could have done something, anything other then what they just condemned my only boy to."

"Lil's" James started, but Lilly did not seem in the mood to calm down, she stalked over to the body on the couch, determined to get this proven once and for all. Before she got to close Remus begged "Come on Lilly, one more paragraph, see" he even flipped over the book so she could see it "let me read this allowed, then you can have it out alright." Seething, she hovered over the body with narrowed eyes, and fearing for his health Remus quickly read out

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…**

"sounds like a lovely first few days" Sirius muttered without thinking, then hoped backwards onto the fire place in shock at the look Lily gave him.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

When Remus looked up to indicate he was done, Lilly rushed forward and pushed back the long black bangs that would reveal there destiny.

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><p>Twala, the first chapter. I know that you've probably seen those comments a million times over like I have, but I tried to put at least a small originality in them. This will get better and more original as it goes on. I'm sorry to say that I'll only be able to update once a week, Saturday, sometimes Sunday if I'm lucky. I also hope you don't think to bad of me for not putting the chapter titles or titles of the books in, but they are just a dead give away, and ruin the series most of the time. I'll title MY chapters with them, but the characters won't know anything about them. Hope you guys enjoy<p> 


	3. Awakened

**Disclaimer: All words in Bold do not belong to me, all other words are mine and should not be seen on any other page of this website.  
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><p>With the air of one pulling off a murderess hood, Lily pulled back the black bangs to reveal the mark upon that forehead.<p>

"I don't believe it-" Lily murmured quietly

"Its really there-" Remus muttered

"Like lightning-" James whispered

The other three were stunned into silence only finishing half a sentence, but Sirius on the other hand burst out laughing. The others all exchanged worried glances, Sirius sounded quite deranged, but between loud gaufws he managed to get out "Don't you guys see, this isn't real. Its got nothing to do with us. Maybe some alternate dimension where there Harry Potter was born with a scar on his forehead, but ours doesn't."

He went over to James and scooped baby Harry out of his arms, the little kid looked up at him with wide green eyes as he brushed aside the hair in the way and showed the others. "No scar, no problem."

James looked quite relived, and went over to kiss the center of his child's forehead as if in blessing for such a thing not existing, Lily and Remus on the other hand exchanged uneasy looks.

"We can't yet prove that Srius" Remus said slowly "there has been no dates, nothing to indicate when this book takes place. They didn't even say how old the little baby Harry was in that story. You were mentioned once, and I wasn't mentioned at all."

"Exactly" James said, now starting to get excited "that just proves what Sirius said. That's not our son."

All three boys stopped in there discussion as they heard something. It wasn't loud, or obvious, but a noise they all recognized none the less. Lily Potter had not moved an inch sense the discovery of the scar, and had merely been hovering over the familiar face with a look of devastation. Which had slowly turned to revelation, which had finally morphed to tender love. Slow steady tears had been trickling from her green eyes, splashing slightly onto his face. She did not seem aware of it, or anything else around her for that matter. What had alerted the men, was a slight sniffling sound coming form her, as she slowly looked up at her husband.

"Don't say that James, please don't say that."

"But, Lil's-" he started weakly, but stopped when her eyes flickered back down

"This is my son" she paused and took one step towards her husband, but still within an inch of the couch, then reached out and placed a hand on her only child "our son."

James seemed torn, his eyes flickering between the man on the couch, and the infant in his best friends arms. Sucking in a huge lung of air, he finally said "You, you want this to be true, do you? For us to" his throat convulsed, he seemed incapable of getting the word out, but pressed on with everyone understanding him "and our child to go and live with your sister."

She shook her head sadly from side to side, and said quietly "no not want. How could I ever want such a future, but it is ours. Our grows up alive and healthy, and that's all that matters to me." She took her hand off the boy on the couch, and stepped forward to bury her face in James chest.

With a look of defeat on his face, James wrapped her up tight and the two took a moment to accept what was to be.

Remus and Sirius were not pleased, but Sirius could come up with nothing to say to bring the conversation around back to his line of thinking. Remus opened his mouth, and with a determined look on his face said "I think we should finally wake this Harry up. He might be able to answer a few questions."

"Maybe not Moony" James said slowly, still not looking up from his wife "you read the letter, he probably has no memories and doesn't even know who he is, let alone where, or when, he is."

Remus shrugged and raised his wand anyways stating "still, nothing to loose at this point."

No one in the room tried to stop him from using the spell to wake Harry, for they all had the same feeling about them. A sense of purpose, to strike out and fix what was wronged.

After a blast of light, he started to stir at first, and raised his hand to his face where there were still a few wet spots from when Lily had cried on him. Then slowly, ever cautious, he opened his eyes and let them wander about the ceiling for a few moments before his eyes slid sideways to land on the four adults hovering over him.

For the briefest moment in time something flashed in those emerald eyes, recognition maybe, but then it was gone to be replaced by solum confusion.

He opened his mouth, closed it again and seemed to be mulling something over, then opened it again and said "Hello".

This was hardly the response any of them had been expecting. Honestly they were all expecting a berage of questions the moment he found his tongue.

The boy was no danger to any of them, seeing as Remus had never returned his want to his pocket, but the others still tensed up a bit as Lily went forward, and lowered herself down to his eye lever as she said quietly "Hello yourself, do you know who I am?"

He frowned again, and he seemed to be struggling desperately with something before he answered "no".

Lily nodded, as if this did not surprise her and said "My names Lily Potter. Ring any bells."

There it was again, an almost pained look about him as his mind grappled with something none of the others could tell, the pause was longest of all still until he shook his head no in a depressed manner.

This time she frowned, as if really hoping for a different response before asking gently "can you sit up?"

This to took a moment to process, but he then started shifting his wait around and looking down at his own body as if trying to remember how to do this as well. After a good ten minutes of seemingly nothing, he swung his legs down onto the carpet and sat up with shaky arms. Yet when he was done, he grinned up at them, seeming quite pleased with himself.

Now that he was sitting up, he seemed a bit more confident about himself and looked around the rest of the room and especially the other people with wide alert eyes. The others were just waiting, a bit tense still, for him to say something. They wanted him to make the first move, unsure how to proceed themselves.

After a time he cleared his throat and asked the room "Do you know my name?"

Lily exchanged a look with James, who also came forward so that he was on eye level with him before he answered "if you are who we think you are, then your name is Harry Potter, and your our son."

He nodded once, his eyes flickering between the two an then said "I can't remember anything. Its a bit disconcerting to not even be able to pull any kind of memory. But I believe you, I don't know why, but I guess I do."

"Go check a mirror" Sirius spoke up for the first time "trust me, you'll see exactly why."

"Very funny Padfoot" Remus rolled his eyes before turning to Harry and saying "well then I guess we have to introduce ourselves since our dear friends have yet to, my names Remus Lupin, and this is Sirius Black. That little toddler he's holding is you by the way."

"Way to freak the kid out Moony" James muttered as Harry's eyes went wide and flickered to the baby in Sirius's arms. "What, but I mean, what?"

"Know, I think we got that the first time" Sirius chuckled

Lily reached forward and took hold of her sons hands gently before saying "we don't know how dear, but your not from this time period. You shouldn't be this old right now. You were only born four months ago. Those" she gestured to the books on the table "and a note came with you when you crashed down into our kitchen table. Does any of this ring a bell"

When Harry shook his head no, Sirius snorted and said "well I'd kind of hope not, since he was passed out threw everything you just described."

"Keep up the commentary Sirius and you won't be allowed to hold Harry for the rest of the day" James said in a pleasant voice.

Sirius scowled at him and tightened the hold on his little pup, but chose not to reply.

"So? What now" Remus asked slowly "I could try and revers the memory charm placed on him, but it would be slamming a lot of stuff back all at once, could be dangerous. The kids lost his memory's so he can't prove anything." He tapped the book looking around for some kind of answer.

Lily shot to her feet and snarled "I told you Remus, this is my son. This is proven and nothing's going to change that so stop trying to say otherwise."

Remus quickly raised his hands in surrender and took a quick step back, while James said "I'm with Remus, can't take the risk of trying to replace so many memories at one time. In fact, I think the best we could do is read these books with him, I'm rather curious myself about his life."

"I think that's a wonderful idea" Lily approved before sitting down on the couch next to Harry.

Harry's eyes flickered around the room before saying "so, er, if I read these books with you guys I'll remember everything again."

"Maybe not everything" Remus conceded "but hopefully these will help jog your memories, the more we replenish the more stuff should come on its own."

It seemed that Harry didn't understand all of this, but he quickly nodded his head and agreed he'd like to try.

"I have an idea" Sirius chirped as his stomach rumbled "why don't we let Harry read the first chapter on his own, so that he's caught up with us. While he does that, we can eat."

"Sirius, you just ate two hours ago" Lilly repreminded

"Yea" he shrugged "but you guys didn't, and I'm a bottomless pit."

"I like that idea" Harry agreed, eyeballing the book. Anything to get his memories flowing again. He reached over and was fixing to grab it before he looked at his own hand and frowned, then looked up at his parents and said "Er, where's a bathroom."

James chuckled and said "Down the hallway, second door on the left."

Harry thanked him, then looked down at his legs. Just like everything else he'd done, he sat there for a good few minutes before it seemed to occur to him that his legs would get up and move as he choose. He managed to walk over to the indicated door while only stumbled a few times and ramming a dresser once.

While Lily prepared a meal for them all, Harry managed to go into the bathroom for several minutes and just managed to close the book on his finished chapter when they all came back.

He locked eyes on his father for a long time, and they knew that he was probably comparing the sights he'd seen in the mirror to the man across from him. He then turned the replicated eyes on his mother. Taking in a deep breath, he looked around at all of them and asked "why do I have so many scars?"

"Scars?" Lily asked, panicking at once "you only have the one." She reached forward and touched him gently on the forehead.

Harry relaxed under the touch and nodded, before continuing "yes that one, but I have a few others." He raised up his fist and indicated some white writing on the back of his hand, the words to faded to clearly make out however. He then lifted his shirt to reveal the three scars on this chest, one seemed to be a burned in mark of an oval shape, the other almost like a slash, and the third dead center in his chest was another bolt of lightning.

All the adults exchanged horrified looks before looking back at Harry. Finally, Remus said slowly "we don't really know, like your mother said your time has come after are so this will be all knew to us to. But I'm sure well find out."

Harry beamed at Remus, mostly for the 'your mother' remark, he seemed to like that.

"I'll read next" Lily offered, taking the book gently away from her son and flipping it to the right chapter, while Sirius manged to get out before she started "look on the bright side. With these books here, we can change our future however we want."

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><p>Three things:<p>

A, yes that last line does mean that I am going to do a "if it never happened" kind of thing follow up what ever after there done reading the series.

2, I hope you guys are liking this, I'm trying to make it as orignial and unlike other reading series as possible and

Last, SORRY! I hate it when people just do chapters that don't actually have chapters, and the next one's like one of my favorite from the hole series. Yet this was so stinking long, I just didn't have the time to come up with this and the actual chapter. I promise that will be up next Saturday.


	4. The Vanishing Glass

**Disclaimer: All words in Bold do not belong to me, all other words are mine and should not be seen on any other page of this website.  
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* * *

><p>"Yea" James agreed with a slight grin "one of us could be minister if we play our cards right"<p>

"Or famous" Sirius shouted

"or a teacher" Remus jumped in

His two friends froze with disgusted looks on there faces "Honestly Moony, I will never understand why you insist on wanting such a profession" Sirius muttered

"Yea, nothing but paperwork and listening to kids complain all day" James agreed

"Unless he got cool students like us" Sirius said slowly "then they could help make life entertaining"

Remus paled slightly at the prospect of teaching children of the Marauders

Harry said nothing, he was merely watching his family with rapt attention. The first chapter had struck a hard cord inside him, as he realized he would grow up away from these people. Did he want his memories back if his own parents weren't going to be in them? He never found a chance to raise these questions however, since his mother had decided to ignore the others and start reading

**Chapter 2**

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bonnets — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"Really?" Lily asked curiously

"I do hope that means that we finally got threw to Dumbledore" Sirius said with a strait face " and that Harry's living with us now" and he gestured towards Remus, who was shaking his head sadly.

"You, Sirius, he'd be living with you. Werewolves aren't allowed to adopt, you know that." Harry jerked once in shock, as he appraised the man sitting next to him, but after a brief moment he relaxed again and pretended he hadn't heard a thing. If wizards existed, why not other creatures as well?

The others had continued on in the conversation, obviously not realizing such a slip "Still, I would be able to adopt him and you'd be living with us. I could use all the help I could get in raising a kid, and we all know how much smarter then me you are" Sirius had continued

"True enough" Remus chuckled, then frowned "though I'm still worried, if Harry's no longer living there, why would they make such a comment at that last sentence."

With a heavy sigh, Lily read the next sentence

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. **

"Damn" Sirius snarled

"Then why didn't we come and get him?" Remus wondered, and they all turned to Harry as if expecting an answer. He however merely shrugged, as lost as them

**His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

"What a pleasant wake up call" James rolled his eyes

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"Wow, what a mind" Remus whistled "to be able to remember that"

"I don't think he actually remembers" Lily shook her head "just his subconscious dreading up things."

"If only my memories was still that good" Harry sighed, rubbing his temple in agitation.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

That stopped Lily cold. She turned flashing eyes from the book, to her son and demanded "they made you cook? You were probably just ten, and they had you cook?"

"Maybe I like cooking" Harry shrugged, unable to come up with any other reason for this

"What's the big deal?" Sirius shrugged "if you can reach the stove he can get his own food, faster that way"

Lily groaned and James shot him a look that clearly said 'your not helping'.

**Harry groaned.**

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"**Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? **

Harry jolted in surprise, suddenly having a horrid sense of deja vu, but why? Was Dudley's birthday a major even in his life, something that would help him? With high hopes he egged his mother to go on.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

It took a moment for that to sink in, but once it did you'd think someone had died in the household. With a snarl of rage Lily dropped the book and lunged to her feet, as if she were intending to march to her sisters house with an army and tear every joint out of place, slowly.

James didn't know what to think, was this some kind of sick joke? He reached down and picked up the book, determined to see this for himself. There were the words printed bold as brass upon the page. He to then got up and made to go and curse those Dursely's to jelly for forcing his son to sleep in a cupboard. That was a place for shoes' not his son!

Remus and Sirius seemed to be more in shock, still reveling in the fact that they had not picked Harry up at the first moment. Where were they? Had something happened to them as well? Perhaps the death eaters had killed them as well, but Dumbledore and McGonagall had not known yet, or it had happened a short time later. It was a very surreal fact to realize you were going to die.

Harry was just looking around the room in confusion, he did not really understand how or why they were so upset. Wasn't that normal?

Losing air in her lungs, Lily ceased verbal abuse and strode towards the door, wand in hand. No one made a move to stop her, so Harry quickly got to his feet and stood in front of his mother with a pleading look "Its okay, it hasn't happened yet. Or it already happened, or...O never mind. The point is, can't do much about it now can you? I'm okay, and I doubt I was in there long. Maybe something was wrong with my room." He paused as he tried to remember this, and a vague memory of cramped and dark living conditions crept upon him. Nothing more then that.

James shook his head violently from side to side and said "Harry, it said that was were you slept, and even still, you would share a room with your cousin before you slept in a bloody cupboard."

Feeling exasperated but unwilling to let his parents leave him, he cast his mind about for some other way to keep them here, until the baby started crying. He looked around in relief as little baby Harry kicked up a fuss in Sirius's grip, and Lily deflated as she rushed over to comfort him. James seemed to be teetering on edge, obviously wanting to go and right the wrong that had been done against his son, but looking into both of there faces, decided he couldn't leave, not quite yet.

With a sigh of relief Harry went back to the couch and sat between his parents again, and Lily transferred baby Harry to James while she got the book and went back to her place. While the older Harry sat rubbing at his temples. Just from the little he had read, a vague sort of feeling had come over him, along with the cramped feeling of before. How long had he lived in that cupboard? It must have been a while, if he could remember nothing more then that spacing. His mother, now a little bit calmer, was now ready to read on.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

Both James and Sirius opened there mouths at that, but Lily shook her head and said "Muggle stuff dear, Sirius you should know that. You took Muggle studies."

Sirius shrugged and said "yea, like I retained half that. You know I only took it to piss of me mum. I'd come home spouting the last thing I remember. Its not like I retained it."

Lily and Remus both rolled there eyes before Lily went on

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"O great" Lily sighed "my sons going to grow up with a bully".

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. **

"Hay" The boys all snarled, before James went on "great, he not only grew up with a bully, but he's victim to him as well."

"I'm sure his parents at least try to prevent it" Lily said in a hopeful voice, before Remus snorted "please Lil's do you remember where he sleeps?"

Again, they all turned to Harry, like they wanted an answer, but he just shrugged. Vaguely remembering being knocked to the ground quite a bit, but not much else or who did it.

**Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast**.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

Lily and James both pursed there lips at the reminder, while Sirius and Remus laughed.

"Nope sorry kid, that's genes. Your father was a scrawny git when I first met him."

"Hay" James snapped, but had no way to deny it.

Harry merely beamed as he realized he was even more like his father.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

"Are you kidding me?" Lily yelped "they don't even buy him his own close?"

"That can't be right" Remus frowned "what on Earth would the school think? One boy comes looking prim, while the other looks half sick?"

James and Sirius were fuming up a storm, both wanting answers and revenge but unclear of how to get it yet.

** Harry had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair, and bright green eyes.**

"A perfect combination of your parents that" Sirius told him, managing to bring up a smile for the older Harry, who again couldn't help but beam with pride.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

"Let me guess" Remus snarled "your Aunt and Uncle couldn't be bothered to ever get you knew ones, or even bother how they were broken?"

Harry merely shrugged and tapped the tip of his glasses, and decided they were probably only fixed now because he had fixed them himself with magic.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"What!" was the loud course of up rage from all five adults in the room, again off setting the baby. Lily made to set the book down and reach for her son again, but James waved her off and cradled his son close, crooning to him and apologizing for startling him. Hickery heard the disturbance and slunk down from the mantle and crawled up onto James lap, settling himself close to Harry's face again. Once the cat's tail was back in his view, baby Harry started to giggle and attempted to grab at it, settling him down once more.

Now that all the shouting was done, Remus turned on the adult Harry and demanded "you grew up for ten years thinking that your parents died in a car crash?"

Harry shrugged, unable to fully answer him, but unwilling to admit that yes he believed that was true. Sirius had a mad look on his face as he spat "but Dumbledore left a note explaining what happened to them, left it in your bedding clear as day. No way they could have missed it! How could they lie about such a thing?"

Lily's mind was frantic, trying to come up with some excuse for her sister. She was not in a forgiving mood after the treatment it implied her child had been getting, but finally she settled on "maybe she just said that until he gets his Hogwarts letter. She's trying to protect him from the horrible truth, just like Dumbledore wanted. Might have even told them to do it."

Sirius twisted around and spat in the fire to let out his agitation as James growled "if he did then he'll have a hearing from me! Lie to my son about something like this! You can't really believe that?"

Lily deflated, no she didn't believe it, but she didn't want to think her sister would do something like this either. So she went on reading, ignoring the irritated glares in her direction.

"**And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

Remus frowned in agitation "how do you cover that one Lil's? Don't ask questions, its as if there trying to pretend he doesn't even live there!"

Lily still had her head ducked towards the book, unwilling to admit that it seemed this was to her as well.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"As pleasant as his wife" Sirius growled

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place.**

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.**

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — **

James snorted "yea, if baby angel's look like blond piglets"

His friends gave appreciative snorts of amusement for that

**Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Now they all roared with laughter "its official, you are there son" Remus decided

"When was it unofficial?" Harry asked, though he to seemed pleased by this

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.** "**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

Everyone in the room had astounded looks on there faces at that. "Why would he even remember such a thing?" Lily wondered

Harry on the other hand was busy mulling over memories that he was pretty sure had come from his early child hood and decided that this was quite common, and had finally settled on the fact that he did indeed remember this day, and suddenly wanted to encourage his younger self to hurry up and finish his breakfast.

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

"The way she talks to him" Lily rolled her eyes "I don't even talk to baby Harry like that, and he's less then a year old."

Sirius shrugged and said "maybe the lot of them have a mental disorder and they can't process things above a fifth grade level"

James and Remus snickered at that

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"How often did that happen?" Sirius asked curiously

"about once a month since he was five" Harry said automatically, then jolted in surprise at what he said. He didn't know how he remembered that, it just sort of came out

The others were all looking on, his parents with disapproval, and the other two with glee.

"Your getting your memories back" Remus said with a grin

"what a horrid child" Lily muttered, "can't believe you grew up with that" James grumbled

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

Everyone in the room looked appalled at that, "that is so not the way you deal with that" Lily spluttered

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"did I say fifth grade?" Sirius asked with a strait face "I meant second"

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

Remus sighed "that's obvioulsy the way they dealt with it in the past"

"at least the father's not in on it" James said grimly "he's been silent so far"

"Wait for it" Harry muttered

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.** "**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"I stand corrected" James groaned, looking more upset about the behavior then the fact that he was wrong

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR.**

Before either of the purebloods could open there mouths, Lily and Remus quickly said "later."

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch **

"Huh" Sirius said in surprise "that's usually what they give wizards who come of age" his eyes quickly flashed to the watch on the grown Harry's wrist, and then flickered to the one on James. They were not the same one, as they should have been.

"Who gave you that one then?" as he gestured at the slightly dented watch

Harry glanced down at his wrist, almost as if he'd forgotten he had it on, then frowned in agitation. All he could remember was a sense of warmth, and perhaps a warm hug when ever he tried to remember. When he told the others, they all looked slightly happy at that, but James was still frowning. Harry should have gotten his watch, been hugged by his mother when he received it.

**when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"What does she mean, 'take him?'" Lily asked in surprise "surely where ever there going they planed on taking my son"

"Come off it" Sirius scoffed "from what we've seen so far?"

Lily pursed her lips before going on

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away.**

"You've got to be kidding me" James snarled with clenched fists, but quickly relaxed when the baby in his arms squirmed

Sirius twisted around and spat in the fire place again, while the others vented there frustration by cursing themselves. Harry merely watched, almost amused by there reactions. He had no problem with this, why would he want to be around these people more often anyway? They didn't seem to be very good company, unlike the people he was with now.

** Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Argh" Sirius groaned "I am so sorry for you Harry."

"Why?" Harry asked curiosly, it didn't sound very pleasant but Sirius's reaction seemed a little extreme.

"Cabbages and cats, that's the worst thing I could think of, pure torture that is." Sirius grumbled

"You don't like cats?" Harry asked bemused, as he reached over and tickled Hickery behind his ear, which made the cat's pure engine start up.

Sirius shrugged "that one's snot that bad, but still. Urgh."

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.**

"I bet" James snorted "I can just imagine my son plotting how to break old lady's legs."

"Really?" Harry asked with a frown

"No sweaty" Lily said smiling "he was joking."

Remus smiled and said "One thing you should learn quickly about those two" he jerked his head in his friends directions "don't take much of what they say seriously."

"I take everything Siriusly" Sirius said at once, while the others just groaned and Harry laughed

** Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, ****and Tufty again.**

"Hum" Remus said thoughtfully "isn't there a Figg in the order? She's not quite as old as Harry leads her on to be, plus she's a squib, but I know she breeds kneazles then names them ridicules things to throw off what they are."

"Could be" James agreed "after all, Harry is the boy who lived. Probably Dumbledore wants an Order member close to him."

"If so" Lily said in a cold voice "why wouldn't she have told him about the treatment Harry receives. Even if he never told anyone

"Right" Remus deflated "forget I mentioned anything"

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"Who's Marge?" Sirius asked with a frown, clearly knowing he wasn't going to like the answer

Harry to was frowning as he answered "the name rings a bell, I can tell you know she's not someone we'd like to meet."

All the adults exchanged looks, knowing that if Harry was acting like this without the memories to reinforce such feelings, they were going to hate this women.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"I'd go with the first option" James sneered "if anything because it makes me feel better then calling my son a slug."

"That is horrible" Remus snarled "how could you treat anyone like that?"

"Prejudices" Sirius said quietly, his mind flashing back to when he had suggested bringing Remus round to his place once. He regretted that thought at once

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

Lily looked up in surprise "I can't believe Petunia's still friends with her. They were always going on about traveling together, but Yvonne left a few weeks ago without Petunia. Tuny swore she wasn't ever going to talk to her again for that."

James shrugged and said "suppose she changed her mind."

Sirius snorted and said "well she can't have many friends, probably made up with her to at least claim she still had one."

A few hours ago, Lily would have told Sirius off for talking about her sister like that, but then her mind swiveled back to the cupboard, and she held her tongue.

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"They might do that if they don't think like Harry" Remus said, grinning "I believe the phrase that runs threw there minds is 'see not be not'. If were still going with the assumption they are trying to ignore his existence, Harry might just get away with that."

"Lets hope they don't think like Harry" Sirius muttered

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"What do they think he's going to do?" James rolled his eyes "burn it down?"

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"This is awesome" Sirius crowed "now we've got a nice round number of think alikes"

You could almost hear the crickets chirping in the background after that kind of deceleration as Remus shook his head slowly and said "Really Sirius? Really?"

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…"**

"What the bloody hell?" Lily hissed, "my son is not a dog!"

"You know, technically, your not even supposed to do that to dogs" Remus said wisely "even if you leave the windows cracked, the direct sunlight streaming into the car without any, or so little, ventilation out wards can cause heat strokes in dogs. The bigger the dog, the more likely."

"Thank you for that educational lesson Professor" James rolleld his eyes "now I feel bad for locking Padfoot in the sun room last week."

"You did that" Sirius yelped "you told me Peter did that."

"I lied" he said simply

Lily sighed as she realized what her boys were trying to do, pissed though they were as well, they were helping her to try to take her mind off of it. It was in vain however, as she still had to keep reading.

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"**

"Yea, cause that's the most important part of that statement" Sirius rolled his eyes as he twisted around to spit in the fire

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

Remus leaned forward and rubbed his temples in agitation, just imagining that noise was giving him a horrid headache.

While the other three adults were shooting each other significant looks, knowing well that all three would like to pop that kid a good one in the mouth

"**Dinky Duddydums,**

"and the grade levels still dropping" Sirius chuckled

"you keep going with that and your going to reverse them back into the womb" James reminded him

Sirius just shrugged, clearly saying 'it works'

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Jerk"

"Prat"

"Oath"

"Pig"

"Arse"

They all looked at each other, startled upon realizing they had all used different insults that still fit him perfectly

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother.**

**Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.**

"It almost makes you feel for all these ugly people" Harry sighed dramatically, causing the rest of the room to chuckle

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. **

"Charming boy, that one is" Sirius sneered as he tried not to picture who's arms he would have been holding

**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Course he did" Remus snarled "can't look weak in front of your fake friends."

"You could show any emotion around real friends" Lily agreed quietly, coming to the sudden relazatation that it had not mentioned one single friend of Harry's.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

"I don't think a zoo trips worth that" James wrinkled his nose

"Ya, was there even space?" Sirius pondered, picturing half the back seat taken up by that pig

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"They, they wouldn't to that, would they?" Lily gasped, horror etched into her face

"I doubt that" Sirius muttered with a horrible look on his face "unless they don't value there lives at all."

Harry pursed his lips and did not comment

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

"That's not right" Remus muttered sadly "no child should have to grow up with no one listening to them."

"I didn't totally grow up that way" Harry muttered to himself, trying to recollect this vague sense of friendship he had. He was hoping that, like with this birthday, more memories would come back to him if he had more de ja vu. So far, nothing, he could just remember his child hood, which wasn't that pleasant to remember anyway

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."**

"That's not right" James hissed in outrage "unless you consented to do that, and I doubt you did, they shouldn't have done that. I don't care how old you are!"

This time Harry lacked comment for speaking up that his Aunt had threatened him with a week in his cupboard if he so much as flinched to try and stop her.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. ****Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off.**

"Good" James sighed in relief, running his hand threw his hair

"Your hair is way to important to you" Remus joked amused

"Why shouldn't it be? Its what got me this beautiful family" James agreed

"I did not fall in love with you because of your hair" Lily snapped "that's what kept me away from you for all those years"

Before they could get into a familiar round, both Harry and Remus cleared there throats, and Lily read on

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"That, that, that" Lily stuttered, unable to come up with a proper insult for her sister. No, no Petunia Dursley was no longer her sister, she didn't deserve the title. No Tuny she had ever known would do this to her son

The males were clearly just as upset but a look from Harry,who was staring apprehensively around the room as if thinking they were all going to start yelling at him, they merely scowled and started muttering all the things they'd like to do to those relatives of his.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). ****The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. ****Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

"You never should have been" They all snapped at once, startling baby Harry in James arms.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"How much is terrible trouble" James growled, rounding on his son.

Harry just shrugged and tried to put an innocent look on his face, but Remus intervened "don't lie Harry, that face isn't going to full us. You remember, now tell."

With a huge sigh Harry admitted "a week in the cupboard, and a week of chores" while the adults started muttering in disgust, Harry mentally added 'and three days without meals'.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.**

"Nice, you apparated" James grinned

"Not necessarily" Lily shrugged "he could have just flown"

"Either way" Sirius whistled low in his throat "damn"

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trashcans outside the kitchen doors. **

There mind was once again ripped off of the child's magic in favor of that horrid home life, and this time none of them wanted to know how long he'd been in there for.

**Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

"How skinny were you, for you to believe that?"

Harry chuckled slightly and said "I also thought the over large close would act as a parasol, help catch the wind."

Far from finding this amusing, it merely aggravated them that his close didn't seem to fit properly

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

"Yea, I suppose" James amended his earlier statement, when you put it like that

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"Moony, I bet you can't guess his top three favorite things to complain about" Sirius said, choosing to make a joke out of it rather then curse some more

Remus decided to play along as he pretended to mull it over and decided "um, people at work, the bank, and the council"

"Errr" Sirius wailed "Its Harry, then Harry, then Harry"

Harry burst out laughing at there antics, which was the hole reason for that

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"What's wrong with motorcycles?" James rolled his eyes

"Jamsie, put it this way, if its cool he doesn't like it" Sirius said with a strait face

"…**roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"Why on Earth would you do that?" Lily moaned, hoping this wouldn't ruin her sons, for once, good day.

"Sorry" Harry muttered "it was the euphoria of being out, besides its not like they ever listened to what I said anyway. Mostly just ignored me if I did say something. Didn't expect them to actually hear me"

Nobody appreciated this bit of honesty

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. **

"Pitty he didn't" Sirius sighed

"Sirius" Lily snapped "my sons in that car"

James shrugged and said "yea Lil's, but he's a wizard, it wouldn't even scratch him. Plus, I like the irony" and a dark look over took him as he remembered that horrible lie

"yes, but if he did crash, he'd blame it on Harry"Remus pointed out, which put a stop to any kind of thinking like that

**He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

"that's all you know" Sirius sneered

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"I don't think its you, so much as you might mention them to your cousin" Remus said slowly

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop.**

all of the adults shifted in agitation, thinking 'at least he got something'

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"That's right prongslet" James patted adult Harry on the top of his head "think positive"

Harry laughed at the way his dad was doing that, but then determined that he would have to ask about those nicknames they kept using when the chapter was over

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him.**

Lily shot a disgusted look at the marauders, clearly remembering there favorite hobby on the occasions they got bored in the school corridors, but she was in to much of a temper to really go at that now. Besides they had, in the past few years, made it clear to her that they did at least slightly regret doing those things.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

Harry frowned, but chose not to bring up the fact that the book left a little something out. The only reason he had been allowed to finish it was because it was half melted in the sun and Piers had refused to eat it for it had looked that disgusting. So Uncle Vernon, had shoved it roughly to the side and Harry just took it, but no one stopped him.

The adults in the room looked so pleased that Harry had gotten something like that, he just couldn't bring himself to mention this

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Dun, Dun, Dun…"

"Sirius."

"Sorry Lils."

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can**

"A lovely thought, that one" all three boys sighed, clearly daydreaming this very thing

**— but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

"Poor snake" Sirius shuttered "having to get a close up of that"

"I don't believe it" James pretended as if to faint "who are you and what have you done with Sirius? He would never say Poor snake! Horrible snake maybe, disgusting snake probably, but never Poor!"

Sirius just shrugged and said "I have nothing against the animals, snot there fault, so don't take things out of context mate"

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles,**

"I didn't know he could do anything smartly" Remus gasped while Harry chuckled

"its an expression Remus" Lily rolled her eyes while Remus frowned at her "I know that Lily."

**but the snake just snoozed on.**

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long.**

"Sounds like fun to me" Sirius drawled "parties every night and people to freak out, what more could you want"

This time the others just ignored him

**It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

"Snakes can't wink" Lily frowned "they don't have eye lids"

"Maybes its a miss print" Remus shrugged

"or a trick of the light" Harry agreed, thinking back to what was about to happen

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **"**I get that all the time."**

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"It" James started, then stopped seeming unable to keep going. Sirius and Lily to both had astounded looks on there faces. Harry frowned and edged away from them, having a faint memory of lots of eyes boring into his with hate, fear, and dislike

Remus caught sight of this first, and quickly said "its alright Harry, were not mad at you. Just confused. Parselmouths go down threw blood line, and James isn't one. We just don't understand who, or why, your one."

"O" he muttered, relaxing again at that, but then frowned as the word tickled something in his mind "what's a parselmouth?"

"You can talk to snakes" Sirius said slowly, still trying to get over a bit of shock

Lily and James exchanged a look, and decided that they wouldn't tell him they were so freaked out because the only snake talking people were those of very dark and evil magic, but this was there son. No, they wouldn't give him any more to worry about, so Lily just read on. Taking the hint, neither Remus nor Sirius intended to go into any further details either.

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head,**

"I rather like this snake" James laughed, trying to shake off the last of his confusion "its right friendly"

**a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"I doubt it could have been that fast" Sirius snickered

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. **

All three males clenched there fists at that, wishing they were ten years old again so they could punch that git in the face and not get into, as much, trouble for it.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What happened" the boys asked in exccitment, hoping there little maruaders jr. would come up with something more creative then punching him back later

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."**

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"where ever it wanted to" James rolled his eyes

"that was a pointless interruption James" Lily snapped

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed,**

"knew I liked that snake" Sirius laughed

**but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. **

"If only, if only, if only" Remus hummed under his breath

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**.

"No" all the adults gasped, now Harry was going to get in trouble again. They were all shaking, just a bit, what kind of punishment would he really get for putting his cousin in danger?

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. **

"Why" they all hissed at once, trying not to picture those reasons

**He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"No meals" Lily murmured, looking faint

James quickly placed baby Harry in her arms, which seemed to steady her, but then he lunged to his feet and started swearing at the top of his lungs.

In a fit of pure rage Sirius picked up a pillow off the couch and stuffed it in his mouth to keep himself from doing the same while his hands clenched and unclenched as if wishing to wring somebody's neck.

Remus jolted to his feet and spat in the fire , and Sirius noticed that there was a bit of blood in there. He must have bitten his tongue from not copying James motions

"I can't believe this" Remus growled, pacing back and froth in front of the couch, looking very much like a mother wolf protecting her cubs "I really can't believe any of them. Even Peter or Sirius would be better of then, then them!"

Sirius would have made a comment about that any other day, but now he felt that Remus had never spoken truer words.

Harry went around to all of them and did his best to reassure them, until they were all at least quite enough, or still whispering mutinously but low enough to hear, that Lily went on. On the inside he was sincerely hoping this was all the book was going to show of how much he truly remembered of this day after the brandy.

Lily gently deposited baby Harry back into James arms so she could finish the chapter

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

Lily clenched her jaw so tight her vision started to blur to keep the tears away, you should't have to sneak around your own home! Even if that was the farthest thing from home any one could picture

The boys were all looking murderous that Harry would have to put such useful skills as sneaking about to something like that, but managed to hold there tongues.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. **

Sirius twisted and spat in the fire for that horrid reminder, and noted absently how badly it was starting to splutter

he quickly pulled out his wand and helped the flames back up to a healthier level while the others looked at him enviously, wishing they could do something similar to vent

**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

Now they were all shifting there weight around, trying not to picture what had been done to there Harry

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. **

"We ran a green light" Lily muttered snidly

**He couldn't remember his parents at all.**

**His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

Everyone deflated as if with punctures in them now

"you, didn't even know what we looked like?" James asked sadly

"I do know" Harry reminded him "now. Besides, like you guys pointed out at the beginning of the chapter, you can fix this. We can read all this, and hopefully I'll remember enough so that we can prevent this from happening. I can grow up with you guys."

"Nothing would ever please us more" Lily whispered

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened;**

both Remus and Sirius winced at that convinced they must have died, as well as Peter, to leave Harry like that.

**the Dursleys were his only family.**

"That's not family" Lily hissed in out rage, but did not need to elaborate, they all knew what she meant

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.**

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Hu" Remus muttered "those are probably surviving members of the order. I can't believe Dumbledore would just leave you there with no one watching you."

"Look what good its done" James muttered with disgust

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That was horrible" Lily murmurer, flipping to the next chapter "I don't think I can stand another chapter about your younger years."

James reached over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before saying softly "Its okay Lily flower, I'd like to think his Hogwarts letter will be coming soon, _very soon, _and then they'll have to treat him decently. They'll know he's a wizard, and wouldn't do a thing to him."

Lily sighed, unconvinced, but passed the book to James none the less as she took her son back.

* * *

><p>Hope this chapter was okay. Like I said, its one of my favorites, if only cause I love the peoples reactions to this and the next one.I always mark how good a story this is, or could be, by this and the next chapter. So I'm hoping sincerely that you guys are pleased with this one<p> 


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